Helena Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
by Brightfire15
Summary: After leaving Privet Drive with Cedric and learning of Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, Helena finds herself in a new world of secrets about her past, along with the dangers of Dementors, time-traveling and family she never knew before until now. R&R.
1. Aunt Marge's Big Mistake

Helena Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Disclaimer: I do not own _Harry Potter_

My name is Helena Potter, and I'm a witch.

For ten years, I didn't know about this, but when I turned eleven, I received my Hogwarts letter and learned the truth about my past. I was the Girl Who Lived as Lord Voldemort seemed to vanished after trying and failing to kill me when I barely a year old. I learned that my so-called relatives had known and tried to force the magic out of me and they failed miserably. I went to Hogwarts the following term, and felt at home for the first time. I gained three great friends, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Cedric Diggory, and some of the teachers became my friend as well. At the end of the year, I faced Lord Voldemort again and barely escaped with my life and Cedric's and all four of us were rewarded as we were heroes.

During my second year at Hogwarts, I learnt more about my past and powers and about Lord Voldemort while rescuing my best friend, Cedric Diggory from some form of Lord Voldemort's sixteen-year-old self after he was possessed by Voldemort. Cedric took a while before he ever forgave himself for what had happened. However, I cheered him up by promising to tell the Dursleys he was my personal bodyguard with permission to use magic if they tried anything.

Speaking of whom, the Dursleys and I came to an agreement this summer. If I kept Hedwig quiet and kept my magic stuff hidden, I could let Hedwig out at night. I managed to stay in contact with my friends this time through owl. The Durselys had been somewhat more polite this summer because they'd believed the story I told them about Cedric being my personal bodyguard who had permission to use magic if he knew I was harmed or was being mistreated by them.

This afternoon was not one I was looking forward to as not only did I have to find someway to get Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon to sign a permission form so I could go to the Hogsmeade village on weekends this year, but my Uncle's sister, Marge was coming to visit. She wasn't a blood relative of mine, but I had been forced to call her 'aunt' my whole life. She hated me and was always rude and cruel and I hated her for her insults and behavior towards me. Surprisingly, her favorite dog, Ripper, liked me, which only made her more furious towards me.

When she arrived, I opened the door for her and pulled Uncle Vernon aside. "Uncle Vernon, I need a favor," I said. "Could you sign this form for me?"

"What is it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing, just some school stuff."

"Later perhaps, if you behave."

"I will if _she _does," I said, with venom.

Aunt Marge, who'd been talking to Aunt Petunia, glared at me. "Oh, you're still here, are you?"

"Yes," I said, glaring at her.

"Don't say 'yes,' in that ungrateful way," she snapped. She turned to Uncle Vernon. "She'd have been sent straight to an orphanage if she'd been dumped on my doorstep." Then she saw Dudley and began drooling over him which made me want to vomit.

"Shall we go have dinner?" said Aunt Petunia. "I'm sure you must be starved after your journey, Marge."

"Indeed, I am," said Aunt Marge.

I wasn't hungry, but I had no choice but to attend dinner. I sat beside them and tried not to listen to Aunt Marge's ramblings about stupid crap I didn't care about. When dinner ended and it was time for desert, I gathered the plates and washed them as Uncle Vernon served some brandy. Everything was fine until _she _started talking again.

"Where is it you said you sent the girl, Vernon?" asked Aunt Marge.

"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon. "It's an institution for hopeless causes."

"Do they use a cane at St. Brutus's, girl?" asked Aunt Marge.

"Yeah, I've been loads of times," I said, dully as I continued cleaning. Ripper then came into the kitchen and nuzzled my leg, moaning. I slipped him some table scraps and stroked his leathery head as he let out a few grunts of pleasure.

"Excellent, I'll have none of this namby-pamby nonsense about not beating people who deserve it," said Aunt Marge. "You mustn't blame yourself for how this one turned out, Petunia. What did the girl's father do?"

"He didn't work, he was unemployed," said Aunt Petunia.

"Drunk too, no doubt," said Aunt Marge, scornfully.

"That's a lie!" I growled. "My dad wasn't a drunk!"

Aunt Marge glared at me and then her brandy glass broke while she was holding it. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon looked concerned. "Oh, don't worry, Petunia. I have a very firm grip."

"I think it's time you went to bed," said Uncle Vernon.

"Quiet, Vernon," Aunt Marge snapped. "You, Potter, clean it up."

I bit back a growl of annoyance as I cleaned up the glass and spilt brandy.

"Actually, it's nothing to do with the father. It's all to do with the mother," said Aunt Marge. "You see, all the time with dogs, if there's something wrong with mother, then there's something wrong with the pup."

At that point, I lost my temper and control over my magic. "Shut up! Shut up! Don't you _ever _talk about my mother like that again! My mother died trying to save me from getting killed, you skanky old cow!" I yelled, without thinking.

Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley looked shocked. They hadn't known about it until now. Aunt Marge on the other hand, just went on glaring at me and held up her finger as one would to a naughty child. "Right, let me tell you, girl…" but she was cut off as her finger began swelling up. And not just her finger, but her entire body! Her clothes tore up at the seams and she was screaming as she began floating away like a balloon. She floated out of the house and into the night air despite Uncle Vernon's attempts to bring her back down.

I ran back to my room and quickly packed my things. I dragged my trunk down the stairs. When I reached the floor, Uncle Vernon shouted in my face, "You bring her back! You bring her back now! You put her right!"

"Not a _chance!_ She deserved what she got!" I snarled.

Just as Uncle Vernon yelled and tried to put his hands on my throat, the door sprung open and Cedric appeared, holding his wand to Uncle Vernon's back.

"Get your hands off her, _now!_" Cedric growled. "Back up towards the wall and keep away from her!"

Uncle Vernon backed off, holding his hands up. "And just who are _you?_"

"He's the bodyguard I told you about," I said, grateful he was there. "We're leaving."

"And just where are the two of you going to go?" Aunt Petunia demanded.

"She's getting away from _you_ and coming with _me._ Now, stay where you are. Come on, Helena, let's go," said Cedric.

I nodded and dragged my trunk out the door and into the street with him. When we were clear from Privet Drive, I asked, "How on earth did you know I was in trouble?"

"I was coming to visit as a surprise when I saw your aunt flying out of the house. I thought the Dursleys were mad and would hurt you," he explained.

"Well, I'm glad you came when you did," I said. Then I frowned. "Hang, I thought your parents weren't letting you out their sight because of—?"

"They weren't," he interrupted. "Until I persuaded them to let me stay at the Leaky Cauldron and go see you as I was bored out of my skull and promised I wouldn't get into anymore trouble until a few months after we got to school."

I chuckled and then sighed. "You realize I'm going to be expelled for this? I used magic illegally, _again_."

"You're not going to be expelled, it was an accident!" he protested.

"It won't matter in the eyes of the Ministry. They blamed me for Dobby's Hover Charm, remember?"

"Don't give up yet. There's still—did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" I asked.

The wind then blew around us and suddenly a large scrawny black dog with yellow eyes appeared in the bushes, growling slightly. Cedric and I drew out our wands as the dog left and then a blue triple-decker bus appeared out of nowhere. A skinny acne-covered man with a ticket machine was on the end of it and reading off a little piece of paper.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I'll be your conductor for this evening," he said. "Coming along then, you two, or what?"

"Yeah, just a minute," I said, surprised. "Let me get my trunk."

"No, you shall not, little Miss. I'll get that for you," said Stan. "Get on."

I nodded and followed Cedric onto the bus. There were beds, railings to hold onto and a few normal seats. "Have you actually ridden this thing before?" I asked, Cedric.

"Once," he admitted. "You'll want to hang on tight."

"Why, what's—whoa!"

The Knight Bus suddenly took off at the speed of at least eighty miles an hours and I fell onto the floor. The beds kept sprawling all over as the bus roared off. Ernie, the bus driver seemed to be taking order from a shrunken talking head that said, "Take her away, Ernie!" I barely managed to hang onto the railing.

"What did you say your names were?" asked Stan.

"We didn't!" said Cedric.

"Whereabouts you two headed?"

"The Leaky Cauldron, that's in London," I said.

"Do you hear that, Ern? 'The Leaky Cauldron, that's in London,'" said Stan.

"Hey, if you order the pea soup, make sure you eat it before it eats you," said the shrunken head.

Then I saw the newspaper Stan was reading. It said something about a prisoner breaking out of Azkaban and showed a man with thick hair and facial hair screaming on the front. "Who's that man?" I asked.

"'Who is that?'" Stan repeated. "That is Sirius Black, that is. Don't tell me you haven't heard of him."

"I have," said Cedric. "Dad told me stories. Sirius Black's a murderer. Twelve years ago, he murdered thirteen people with a single curse."

"How'd he escape from prison?" I asked.

"That's the question, isn't it?" said Stan. "He's the first one that's done it. He was a big supporter of You-Know-Who. I reckon you've heard of him, haven't you?"

Cedric and I exchanged glances. Had we _heard_ of Voldemort? We'd _met_ him and barely escaped from him with our lives! But we didn't say this. We just nodded and then the Leaky Cauldron came into view. The Knight Bus then halted so quickly that I lost my grip and smacked face-first into the window.

"I officially hate the Knight Bus," I concluded, as I picked myself up.

Just then, Tom, the barman of the Leaky Cauldron came onboard. "Ah, Mr. Diggory, Miss Potter, come with me. The Minister's been expecting you. Come along. I'll get your trunk, Miss Potter."

My heart sank as we followed him up to one of the rooms where we sat down. Hedwig was there and sat on my shoulder as she affectionately nibbled my ear. Cornelius Fudge, the Minster of Magic, appeared and shook our hands.

"Ah, Mr. Diggory, Miss Potter, how delighted I am to meet you at last," he said. "Can I offer you something to eat or drink? No? Well, I'll just get straight to the point, then. Miss Potter, your uncle's sister was found floating over a chimney in Shimmery. The Accidental Magical Reversal Squad acted immediately. She's been properly punctured with her memory modified. She'll have no recollection of the incident, so that's that."

"Thank you, Minister, that's very gracious of you, but I don't understand why I'm not being punished," I said. "I broke the law. Underage witches and wizards aren't allowed to use magic at home."

"Come now, Helena, it was an accident. The Ministry doesn't send people to Azkaban for blowing up their aunts. On the other hand, given the state of things, and even though Mr. Diggory did accompany you, running away like that was very, very irresponsible."

"Yes, of course, sir. But if I may ask, what's Sirius Black got to do with Helena, exactly?" asked Cedric.

"Nothing at all," said Fudge. "Now, Miss Potter, I've taken the liberty of getting your school supplies for you. If you need anything else, Tom will be more than happy to help you. Oh, Helena, it would be best if you didn't wander while you were here and I would prefer if Mr. Diggory was your escort for the time being."

"Sure, sir," I said, nodding. "Thank you."

When we were in my room, Cedric and I let out sighs of relief and starting laughing hysterically as we hugged each other. I was so glad I wasn't going to be expelled or arrested, it was quite a relief. After we sat up talking for a while, Cedric went off to his room which was right across from mine and promised to be there if I needed him. It certainly was an interesting night.

The next day, I went through my schoolbooks and was nearly torn to pieces by a copy of _The Monster Book of Monsters_. I managed to get it to stop when I lured it out from under my bed and squashed it with my body before I tied its mouth up tightly. Who on earth would have assigned me a biting book? I sighed in exasperation as I knocked on Cedric's door and he held up a copy of the same book tied with a chain.

"Guess who assigned us these books?" he said. "Hagrid. He's our new Care of Magical Creatures teacher!"

"I should've known," I said, sighing again. "Who else would've assigned us a book like this than Hagrid?"

Cedric shrugged and then frowned when Scabbers ran down the hall and was chased by an orange puffball on legs. Cedric and I smiled. If Scabbers was here, then so was Ron and maybe Hermione was as well. We walked downstairs just as Ron and Hermione were having another squabble.

"I'm warning you, Hermione. Keep that bloody beast of your away from Scabbers or I'll turn it into a tea cozy!" said Ron.

"It's a cat, Ronald, what'd you expect?" said Hermione.

"A cat? Is that what they told you? Looks more like a pig with fur if you ask me!"

"That's rich, coming from the owner of that smelly old shoebrush! It's okay, Crookshanks, just ignore the mean little boy."

"Helena, Cedric!" said Ron, noticing us at last.

"Hi, guys," said Hermione. "How're you? Are you alright? We heard—"

"I'll explain later," I interrupted, not wanting to talk about it. "So, what about you guys? How've you been? When you'd get that cat? He's lovely."

"Bought him last night," said Hermione proudly. "And Ron's just been telling me how his family won the lottery and went to Egypt with his brother Bill."

"What was Egypt like, Ron?" asked Cedric, as we sat down and ordered breakfast. "I've been dying to go to Egypt for years."

"It was brilliant. Mummies, tombs, ancient curses and stuff. Even Scabbers enjoyed himself," said Ron.

"You know the Egyptians used to worship cats," said Hermione.

"Yeah, along with the dung beetle," said Ron. "Mum wouldn't let Ginny go into the last tomb, thought she'd get nightmares. It would've been perfect if Percy hadn't been so smug about being declared Head Boy. He wouldn't shut up about it. We tried to shut him in a tomb, but Mum caught us."

We burst out laughing.

"That reminds me," said Cedric. He pulled out a badge with Hufflepuff's symbol and the letters QC on it. "I've been made the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain."

"That's great!" I said, happily. "Congratulations."

"You'll have to make your team train hard to beat Helena when you play against each other this year," said Ron.

"Don't think we'll beat Helena," said Cedric, chuckling.

"Well, we'll see," I said, shrugging.

Just then, there was a tap on my shoulder and the rest of the Weasley clan appeared. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley hugged me tight.

"Helena, so good to see you!" said Mrs. Weasely. "Have you got all of your things for school this year?"

"Yeah, it's all upstairs," I said.

"I've missed you, Helena. You should've come to visit. It's boring back home without you," said Ginny. "Will you come to visit next summer?"

"Yeah, sure, if I can," I promised.

Ginny beamed.

"Helena, I wonder if I might have a word?" said Mr. Weasley.

"Sure."

He pulled me aside to a dark corner and started whispering, "Helena, the Ministry thinks you'd be better off not knowing, but I think it's only fair you hear this. You're aware of the situation with Sirius Black?"

"Yes, of course. What's he got to do with me?"

"Well, you see, twelve years ago, Sirius Black was one of You-Know-Who's biggest supporters. But when you destroyed You-Know-Who, he lost everything. However, to this day, he still remains a faithful servant. And the Ministry believes that he's escaped to wreck revenge on the person who's responsible for his master's downfall."

"So, he's after me," I said, slowly. "And he's going to try and kill me if and when he finds me soon."

"Exactly. Helena, I want you to swear to me that whatever you may hear, you won't go looking for Black," said Mr. Weasley.

"Mr. Weasley, why would I go looking for someone who wants to kill me?" I said. "But, if it'll help you breathe easier, then, I swear I won't go looking for him."

He looked relieved. "Thank you, Helena."

"Thank you for being honest with me." At least _some _adults could be honest with me.


	2. Dementors and Hippogriffs

Dementors and Hippogriffs

Summer went by quickly again.

On my birthday, Cedric, Ron and Hermione took me to the ice-cream shop and a little birthday shopping spree. We had loads of fun and then when the time came, we boarded the Hogwarts Express and I told Ron and Hermione about what had happened with Aunt Marge and the Knight Bus.

"Brilliant," said Ron.

"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione. "If Cedric hadn't come by, who knows what would've happened. Honestly, Helena's lucky she wasn't expelled."

"I think I was lucky not to be arrested," I said, as we came into a compartment with a sleeping man. "Let's go in here. Everywhere is else full."

"Who's that, do you think?" asked Ron.

"Professor R.J. Lupin," said Hermione.

"Do you know everything? How is it she knows everything?" said Ron.

"It's on his suitcase, Ron," said Cedric, pointing to it. "He's our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Do you think he's really asleep?" I asked.

"Seems to be, why?" asked Cedric.

I sighed and shut the door. "There's something I've got to tell you." And then I told them everything Mr. Weasley had said.

"Let me get this straight, Sirius Black's escaped from Azkaban to come after you for what happened twelve years ago?" said Cedric.

"Apparently," I said, shrugging.

"But they'll catch Black soon, won't they?" said Hermione. "I mean, everyone's looking for him."

"Oh, sure. Except no one's ever escaped from Azkaban before and Black's a murderous raving lunatic," said Ron. "But if Dumbledore's around, then there's no need to worry, is there?"

"I'm not worried about Black. If another lunatic wants me dead, then he can take a number," I said, irritated. "After all this time, I'm used to it."

"Helena, you really should take this problem seriously," said Hermione. "Don't go looking for trouble."

"Helena doesn't go _looking_ for trouble, trouble usually finds _her,_" said Ron.

Just then, the train jerked to a stop and everything went cold. The gillywater turned to ice as did the window.

"There's something moving out there," said Cedric. He paled. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Dementors," said Cedric.

"What's a—?" But then a figure like the Grim Reaper minus the scythe peered through the door's window pane and the handle turned as the door opened and the creature came in. Crookshanks hissed and Scabbers hid Ron's pocket. Suddenly, I remembered horrible things and felt miserable and scared. I saw a flash of white light and heard a woman scream, "_Not Helena!_" before I passed out

When I came to, Hermione handed me my glasses and Cedric looked as pale as he had the night I'd found him in the Chamber of Secrets. Professor Lupin handed me a bit of chocolate.

"Here you go, eat this. You'll feel better," he said.

"Thanks," I said, as I sat up. "What _was _that thing?"

"A Dementor," said Professor Lupin. "They guard Azkaban's prison and were looking for Sirius Black. I drove it off, though. If you'll excuse me, I need to have a little chat with the driver. Just keeping eating your chocolate and you'll be fine soon enough."

I nodded as he left. "Did any of you faint or hear someone screaming?" I asked.

"No," said Hermione. "But Cedric looked like he was about to have a seizure."

"And I felt like I'd never be cheerful again," said Ron.

"That's what the Dementors do," said Cedric, softly. "They make us relive our worst memories until we go mad."

He looked horrible, but his color returned when I squeezed his hand. We soon arrived at the school and relaxed a little. Cedric joined us as usual at the Gryffindor table. After the Sorting was over, Malfoy sneered at me, "Potter, is true you fainted? Cowardly Helena Potter, fainting at a Dementor!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Ron. "Don't listen to him. Fred and George said he nearly wet himself when he saw the Dementors."

"I don't care," I muttered.

Professor Dumbledore got up. "Before we sink our teeth into our delicious feast, I have a few announcements to make, besides our very new teachers Rubeus Hagrid and Remus Lupin, Hogwarts will be home to the Dementors of Azkaban until further notice. They'll be stationed at every entrance to the grounds, but the Ministry's assured me that they'll not disrupt our day-to-day activities. However, I must ask all of you to proceed with caution around the Dementors, they are not known to be forgiving. They will not know the difference between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. But happiness can be found even in the darkest of nights if one remembers to turn on the lights."

After eating, we went up to bed. I was more than eager for it, having had more than enough excitement for one day and enough on my mind with Sirius Black and the effect those stupid Dementors had on me. I was just grateful Cedric had recovered at dinner and we'd enjoyed a nice walk up to the Portrait Hole and a great conversation. He didn't need anymore trouble than he'd already had.

My first class was Divination. It, along with Care of Magical Creatures were my two new subjects for the year. Ron had signed up for the same ones I had, but Hermione has signed up for everything else. How she managed to do all those plus her normal courses, I'll never know. I'd have gone mad. Cedric warned me that the Divination teacher, Professor Tralawney, was a daft old bat, I'd hoped he was mistaken, but he was right.

Professor Tralawney proved to be a right old fraud and kept rambling about rubbish, especially when she saw my cup's tea leaves. Ron foretold my death with the sign of the Grim, a large dog. Hermione and I dismissed it at first, but Cedric was concerned as he walked with us to Care of Magical Creatures as Hagrid had asked him to help out a bit for today's lesson, which was Hagrid's first.

"Alright, Ced, what's up?" I asked. "You've been looking horrible ever since I told you about Divination."

"I'm just worried, that's all," said Cedric. "Normally, I wouldn't be bothered by that old bat's so-called prophecies, but the Grim's sign is a dog and—"

"You're not saying that you two actually _saw _a black dog recently?" Ron interrupted, looking alarmed.

"Just for a moment before we got on the Knight Bus," I admitted. "But honestly, I'm not worried and neither should the rest of you. If I was meant to die, then I would've done just that earlier or I'm just going to pass away an old woman."

"I agree with Helena," said Hermione. "And if you ask me, Divination's a very wooly, discipline. Now, Ancient Runes, that's a fascinating subject."

"Ancient Runes? Exactly how many classes are you taking this term?" asked Ron.

"A fair few," she replied, briskly.

"Hang on, that's not possible," said Cedric. "Isn't Ancient Runes the same time as your Divination class?"

"Doesn't matter," said Hermione. "Come on, we're going to be late for Hagrid's class!"

"Cheer up, Cedric," I said. "And don't worry so much. What could happen to me when I've got my special bodyguard with me?"

He laughed and cheered up as we gathered around outside Hagrid's hut and then followed him into a clearing. He looked quite excited about today's lesson. There, in the clearing was a huge creature half-horse and half-eagle.

"Hagrid, what exactly is that?" asked Ron.

"That Ron, is a hippogriff known as Buckbeak," said Hagrid. "Now, first thing you've got to know that hippogriffs are very proud creatures. Insulting them is something you must not ever do. Now, who would like to come say hello?"

"I'll do it," I offered.

"Excellent, now Cedric, if you'd like to take on now?" said Hagrid.

Cedric nodded and held out the dead ferrets on him. "It's very simple. You wait until Buckbeak makes the first move. If he likes you, he'll move forward. Then you bow to him, but don't blink very much as hippogriffs don't like that. Then if he bows back, you can go up and pet him. Just do it slowly, Helena."

I nodded and slowly walked up. Buckbeak moved forward slightly and then I bowed, careful not to blink too much. Buckbeak then bowed and I walked forward slowly and then gently petted his beak and he nuzzled me affectionately.

"Well done Helena!" said Hagrid. "I think he'll let you and Cedric ride him now. Go on, get on."

I was petrified, but Cedric just helped me onto Buckbeak's back and sat behind me as Buckbeak thundered on the ground running fast and then he took off high into the sky. The feeling was exhilarating, not like flying on my broom, but more exciting. We glided all over the castle and Buckbeak then touched down on the lake, his talons just barely touching the water. Cedric and I then raised our arms and shouted, "WHOO!" before Buckbeak flew us back to Hagrid's where everyone cheered us on.

"Well done, Helena! Well done, Cedric! And well done, Buckbeak!" said Hagrid, as he fed the hippogriff some ferrets. He whispered to us, "How am I doing, my first day?"

"Brilliant, Professor," we said, smiling.

Malfoy then burst through crowd. "You're not dangerous at all, are you? You great ugly brute!" he sneered.

"You idiot!" Ron yelled, as Buckbeak tore up Malfoy's arm with his talons before Hagrid could stop them.

Hagrid ended up taking Malfoy to the hospital wing while Malfoy pulled a dramatic act, moaning, "It's killed me! You're going to pay for this, you and your bloody chicken!" And Buckbeak kept nuzzling Cedric and me and squawking softly.

More trouble followed as Malfoy kept moaning about his arm wound and how it was so painful and how he almost lost a limb.

"Listen to the idiot," said Ron, in disgust. "He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"

"At least Hagrid didn't get sacked," I pointed out.

"Yeah, but I've heard Draco's father's furious," said Cedric.

"We haven't heard the end of this, that's for sure," said Hermione.

Just then, Seamus burst in with a copy of the _Daily Prophet. _"Sirius Black's been sighted! He's been sighted in Dufftown!"

"That's not far from here," said Cedric, looking concerned.

"You don't think he'll come to Hogwarts, do you?" said Ron.

"With Dementors at every entrance?" said Hermione, skeptically.

"Dementors?" Seamus scoffed. "He's already slipped past them once! Who's to say he won't do it again?"

"Seamus is right," said Dean. "It's like trying to catch smoke. Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

I bit my lip as we four exchanged uneasy glances. I checked my watch. "We've got to run. Professor Lupin's class is in ten minutes. Cedric, have you been to one of his, yet?"

"Two," he said. "And he's the best D.A.D.A. teacher we've ever had. He's brilliant. You'll love him, trust me."

I smiled and we eagerly went up to Professor Lupin's. He was smiling and had us all go into his office.


	3. Boggarts and Lupin

Boggarts and Lupin

"We are going to have a practical lesson today," he said. "Can anyone tells me what's in the wardrobe?"

"That's a boggart," said Dean.

"Very good," said Professor Lupin. "Can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"

"No one knows," said Hermione. "Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so terrifying."

"Excellent, ten points to Gryffindor," said Professor Lupin. "Now, boggarts are our worse fears and the best way to conquer fear is with laughter. The incantation is _Riddikulus! _And I would like Mr. Longbottom to come forward please. Neville, what's your worst fear?"

"Professor Snape," he mumbled, earning a laugh from half the class.

"Ah, yes, well Professor Snape's quite frightening. Now, I understand you live with your grandmother, correct? When I open that door, I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes in your mind. Can you do that?"

Neville nodded and then the wardrobe opened. The boggart's form of Professor Snape came out of the wardrobe. Neville raised his wand and shouted the incantation and then everyone laughed as we saw Professor Snape in Neville's grandmother's clothes.

"Alright now, I want everyone to think of their worst fear and try to conquer it with something funny," said Professor Lupin. "Ron, you're next!"

Ron's worst fear was a giant spider, but he seemed better when he put roller skates on it. One thing after another was done. More laughter and fun than this class had ever had. Just when it was my turn and I stepped up and thought of something, Professor Lupin put the boggart away and gave everyone ten points for great work. I was confused. Why hadn't I been allowed to fight the boggart?

Later that afternoon, we went to visit Hagrid. He'd gone to hearing about Buckbeak after Mr. Malfoy had insisted on it. Ron was also venting about how Scabbers was missing and it was all the fault of Crookshanks, and Hermione denied it with vigor. We met up with Hagrid when he was skipping stones at the lake.

"How'd it go, Hagrid, the hearing?" Hermione asked.

"Well, first the Committee members took turns talking about why we were there," said Hagrid. "Then, I stood up and did my piece. Said Buckbeak was a good hippogriff, always cleaned his feathers."

"And then?" Ron pressed.

"And then Lucius Malfoy got up and said Buckbeak was a dangerous beast who'd kill you soon as look at you. And then he asked for the worst, dear old Lucius."

"They're not sacking you, are they?" asked Cedric.

"No, I'm not sacked." Hagrid's eyes filled with tears. "Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!"

He sounded broken, so we did the only thing we could: we gave him a group hug and got him a cup of tea which cheered him up a little before we had to return to the castle, worrying about Sirius Black, the Dementors and now Buckbeak.

Next weekend was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year.

As my permission form hadn't been signed, I couldn't go to the village and ended up staying behind at the castle. Cedric offered to stay behind with me, but I told him to just go and have fun. After much persuasion, he did, and Ron and Hermione promised to bring back some sweets for me, and I went off on my own.

I went walking and passed Professor Lupin's classroom as he came out. "Good-morning, Professor," I said.

"Good-morning, Helena. Forgive me, but I saw the other third-years leave half an hour along with your friends. Why aren't you with them?" he asked.

"I can't go," I admitted. "My permission form never got signed."

"Oh, I see," he said. "Well, seeing as how we're the only two not going and I feel up for a little walk around the grounds and feel quite curious about you, would you like to be my guide? It's been years since I've been back here."

I smiled. "Sure, I'd love to."

We walked around the lake and all over the grounds. We talked about my previous adventures. Some of the details made Professor Lupin laugh, others made him upset or angry, but he listened and I found that great.

"Professor, can I ask you something?"

"You want to know why I didn't let you face that boggart, am I correct?"

I nodded.

"I should think it be obvious. It wasn't that I didn't trust your abilties, Helena. It was that I feared that the boggart would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort," he explained. "And I didn't want that to happen to you or the others."

"I did think of Voldemort at first," I admitted. "But then I remembered that night I was in the Chamber of Secrets and how it felt when I saw Cedric lying there nearly dead and then I remembered night on the train where the Dementor attacked me."

"That suggests that what you fear is fear of losing a loved one and perhaps fear itself," said Professor Lupin. "That's very wise."

"Before I passed out though, I heard a woman screaming my name. I think it was my mother the night she was killed." I hadn't told anyone about my suspicions, not wanting to worry them or get my hopes up if I was wrong. Was I selfish or crazy to want to remember hearing my mother's voice, even if she wasn't happy at the time? I didn't say this aloud to Professor Lupin.

Professor Lupin nodded sadly and then smiled a little. "You know the first time I saw you, Helena, I recognized you immediately. Not by your scar, but by your eyes. They're your mother, Lily's. I knew her and your father quite well."

"You did?" I said, surprised. "What were they like?"

"Well, Lily was not only a singularly gifted witch, but she also had a way of seeing the beauty in others even when they could not see it themselves. Your father was also the most loyal and steadfast man I ever knew and he also had a talent for trouble. They were very loyal, determined and kind people. Qualities I hear they've passed down to you."

I smiled and chuckled. "Thanks, Professor."

"Helena, you know if you ever wanted to talk about your parents, I'd more than happy to," said Professor Lupin.

"In that case, I have a lot to ask," I said, smiling as we went on walking and talking until we had to go back to the castle. Before we parted I said, "Thanks, Professor. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime, Helena, anytime," he replied.

I joined Cedric, Ron and Hermione on the steps that led up to the Fat Lady's picture. "Hi, guys. How was the village?"

"It was fun," said Cedric. "Missed you, though. What'd you do while were gone?"

"I went on a walk with Professor Lupin. He knew my parents, so we talked for a while. It was nice."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Helena. I think Professor Lupin's going to be great, for the school and for you," said Hermione.

Ron held up a candy bag. "Surprise," he said. "Your favorites."

"Oh, thanks, guys. You didn't have to do that."

"Ah, we wanted to. We—what's the corridor blocked?" said Cedric.

The corridor _was _blocked, by dozens of students. The Fat Lady wasn't opening the Portrait Hole for some reason. Then I saw the tears in the painting and missing chunks of frame. Professor Dumbledore and Filch were Ginny burst through the crowd. "The Fat Lady's gone! She's been attacked!"

"Where's she gone?" asked Ron. "Who attacked her?"

"Peeves knows," said a voice above us. Peeves, the castle's poltergeist was floating above us looking smug.

"Peeves, who attacked the Fat Lady?" asked Professor Dumbledore.

"Eyes like the devil, he's got, with a soul as black as his name," said Peeves in a singsong voice. "When Fat Lady not let him in Tower without password, he gets angry. Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."

Everyone turned pale and my heart sank as all the students from every House were ordered into the Great Hall and dozens of squishy yet comfortable sleeping bags and pillows were conjured for us. I was slightly afraid as I realized that if I hadn't been out with Professor Lupin, I could've been attacked. Surprisingly, I wasn't as scared as I had been the other times I'd faced dangers. Why was that? And how did he even get into the castle without being caught?

I was about to talk to the others when Professor Dumbledore, Professor Snape and Filch walked by, talking softly. I feigned sleep and listened to them.

"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, no sign of him," said Filch. "Fat Lady was in a safari painting and she's gone back to her portrait."

"Third floor and the dudgeons are clean," said Professor Snape. "No sign of him there or anywhere else in the castle.

"I didn't expect him to linger," said Professor Dumbledore.

"Remarkable feat, isn't it? To sneak into Hogwarts completely undetected? Any theories on Black managed it?" asked Professor Snape.

"Many, each as unlikely as the next," replied Professor Dumbledore.

"You recall before the start of term, I expressed concerns over hiring Professor—"

Professor Dumbledore interrupted him. "No teacher would help Black into the school."

"What about Helena Potter? Should she be warned that Black's after her?"

"Perhaps, but for now, let her sleep. She's got enough on her mind as it is. If need be, we'll speak to her when she's rested. Let her relax for now. For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let her swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud," said Professor Dumbledore.

I felt asleep an hour later, scared and worried about what lay ahead of me.

A week later, Professor Lupin was absent from class as he was ill and Professor Snape was substituting. For some reason, despite the class's vigorous protests that we hadn't covered them, he had us study werewolves and assigned some homework. I actually gained ten points for Gryffindor for being able to list off the different terms for a werewolf, and the herbs that repelled it. After class ended, Professor Snape said, "Potter, I'd like a word with you, immediately."

I sighed and went over to the desk. "Yes, Professor?"

"Miss Potter, some would feel that there's too much on your mind at the moment, but I do not believe in taking unnecessary risks. As you are aware, Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban. What you're not aware of is why he's escaped. To put it bluntly, he's—"

"I know, Professor," I interrupted. "I know Sirius Black's out for me."

He narrowed his eyes. "And how did you come by this information?"

"Mr. Weasley told me before the start of term. He thought I should be warned."

"Mr. Weasley's a sensible man, it would seem. So, Miss Potter, what do you intend to do with this knowledge? Are you taking precautions?"

"Yes, sir, I've been researching defensive spells and I'm staying close to my friends and Professor Lupin for now," I replied.

"Good girl," he said. "Now, I would advise you not to do anything foolish and to maintain caution until Black is caught, is that quite understood?"

"Yes, Professor," I said, nodding. "Thank you for the warning."

"Don't get all sentimental on me. Just keep that head on your shoulders," he said, coldly. "Good afternoon, Miss Potter."

I nodded again and left the classroom.

"What did Snape want?" asked Ron, when I caught up with them.

"He actually wanted to warn me that Black was after me."

"You're kidding!" said Cedric, looking stunned. "Since when has Snape ever really cared about your well-being besides that one time two years ago?"

"Obviously he cares _somewhat _for Helena or he wouldn't have warned her, would he?" said Hermione. "What I want to know is how on earth Black got in the castle in the first place and how he got out?"

"Beats me," I said, shrugging. "If Professor Dumbledore's not even sure, then there's no telling how."

We didn't have time to think about that further as the next day, it was pouring rain and Gryffindor's Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was taking place. Hermione enchanted my glasses so they'd repel the water before Cedric and I met up to shake hands. This would be the first time we'd played against each other, Seeker versus Seeker.

"Good luck, Ced," I said.

"You too," he said. "Whatever happens, whoever wins, we're still best friends."

"Always," I said.

We mounted our brooms and set off.

The match was a _complete _fiasco. The rain, thunder and lightning were horrible; it was freezing cold and more than once I saw Quidditch players' brooms get hit by lightning and crash down below. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were so far tied in Quaffle points, but all of that changed when the Snitch came into view. Cedric and I both chased after it, but then Cedric got hit by a blast of lightning and nearly fell off his broom before I managed to catch him and went after the Snitch again. I froze when I could've sworn I saw the Grim in the cloud, but I ignored it and kept going.

I nearly had the Snitch when ice formed on my glasses and I was surrounded by Dementors. I screamed and tried to evade them, but couldn't. They began feeding off my good memories and I was filled with sadness and grief as I heard my father screaming for my mother to take me and run from Voldemort before I lost my grip on my broom and passed out.

Slowly, I woke up to sound of voices.

"She looks a bit peaky," said Ron.

"Peaky? What'd you expect? She fell over a hundred feet before Cedric managed to catch her," said George.

"Yeah, Ron, let's walk you off the Astronomy Tower and see what you look like," said Fred, cheekily.

My vision cleared and I saw everyone's worried faces. "Probably a right sight better than he normally does," I said, softly, making them all smile in relief.

"You took a nasty fall. How're you feeling?" asked Cedric.

"I'm okay. I'm just really lightheaded, tired and thirsty," I said, as I sat up and drank some water. "Who won the match?"

"Hufflepuff did," said Cedric, looking ashamed. "I caught the Snitch just after you fell. I didn't see you falling until I looked down and managed to catch you. I'm sorry."

"You won fair and square and saved my neck, I'm not angry. Don't worry about it," I said, firmly. "What about those Dementors?"

"They're not supposed to come onto the grounds. You should've seen Dumbledore, he was furious and sent them off before sending an owl to Fudge," said Hermione. "He said if they attacked another student like that again, he'd have them all locked away."

"There's one more thing you should know," said Ron. He held out my Nimbus, which was broken. "When you fell, your broom flew into the Whomping Willow. I'm sorry, Helena."

"It's okay," I said sighing. I was utterly disappointed and upset, but didn't let it show. A maniac was after me and now my only broomstick was destroyed. Could things get any worse? Feeling tired, I told everyone I needed some rest and I was allowed back to my own bed where I quickly fell asleep.

The following morning, Professor Lupin came to see me while Hermione, Ron and Cedric were busy with some homework they'd neglected. I was sitting on the steps at the school's entrance when there was tap on my shoulder.

"Helena, you look troubled. What's wrong?" he asked. "Where're your friends?"

"Busy with homework and I wanted some time to think. I've got a lot on my mind."

"Well, it's beautiful day and I'm willing to hear you out. Perhaps you'd care to join me for another walk?"

"Yeah."

We got our cloaks and went out into the winter sunlight. The trees were bare and there was no snow yet, but there was quite cold.

"I heard about the match yesterday and I'm deeply sorry to hear about your broomstick, Helena. Is there no chance of fixing it?"

"No, the tree smashed it to bits. I can order a new one, but that's not what I'm concerned about right now." I sighed. "Professor, _why _do the Dementors affect me so much? Am I just weak?"

"No, you are not. Listen to me, Dementors are amongst the foulest creatures to walk this earth. They feed off every happy memory, every bit of joy until there's nothing left but pain and grief. The Dementors affect you most of all because there are true horrors in your past that your friends can scarcely imagine, even Mr. Diggory."

I nodded and bit my lip. "Professor, sometimes when I remember hearing my parents voices from that night, some small part of me considers it a good thing because I can actually remember their voices. Am I sick?"

"Helena, of course not," said Professor Lupin. "People who lose those they love cherish even the tiniest or most dismal of memories because they're all they have of those they miss. Some of my friends didn't turn out so well, but I still cherish the good times we had together and such."

"I'm scared, Professor."

"I'd consider you foolish if you weren't."

"I need to know how to fight them if they come near me again. Could you teach me? You made the one on the train go away."

He hesitated but then nodded. "It'll have to be after the holidays, I'm afraid. For the time being, I need to rest."

He did look a bit pale and ill, so I nodded and said, "Understood, Professor."

I told the others about Professor Lupin's plans to help me and they were all quite relieved and grateful for this. It was then that I finally told them about what I heard when the Dementors were near me and they helped me get past it by listening and offering me comfort and assurances that I was still their friend no matter what.


	4. Hogsmeade and the Marauders Map

Hogsmeade and the Marauders Map

Mid-December brought about two feet of snow and another Hogsmeade visit. I watched everyone leave from the Tower's window until there was a knock on the Portrait Hole door. I opened it to see Cedric looking excited.

"Cedric, what're you still doing here?" I asked. "I thought you'd gone down to the village already."

"I didn't want to go without you," he said.

"What? But I can't go."

"Yes, you can. I'll explain in a minute. Get your Invisibility Cloak and come with me. Fred and George have an early Christmas present for you," he said.

I didn't know what to expect as I grabbed it and headed down to a broomstick cupboard where Fred and George were waiting.

"What's going on, guys?" I asked.

"Cedric thought you should explore Hogsmeade with everyone else, so he went to us for help," said George. "So, we've decided to give you the secret to our success. It's a wrench giving it to you, but we've decided your needs are greater than ours and family needs must come first."

I smiled when they called me family. "And what is your secret?"

"This little beauty," said Fred, holding up a folded piece of parchment. He put it on the table and tapped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." And then a map in red ink appeared. It showed Hogwarts and everyone in it what they were doing and where they were.

"'_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders Map,_'" I read aloud. "This is brilliant. Where'd you get it?"

"Nicked it from Filch's office of course," said Fred. "First year."

"Now, Helena, there're seven secret passages out of the school, we'd recommend this one, the One-Eyed Witch passage, it'll lead you to straight to Honeyduke's cellar. And when you're done, just give it a tap and say, 'mischief managed' to wipe it clean or anyone will be able to read it."

"This is fantastic, guys, thanks!" I said, as I put the map in my pocket. "I'll get you some great Christmas presents for this, I promise."

They smiled. "Just go have fun," said the twins in unison.

Cedric and I journeyed down the passageway under the Invisibility Cloak. We climbed out of Honeyduke's cellar and into the shop which was like Candy Heaven. Cedric went out of the Cloak to buy some Ice Mice to split, which we enjoyed until we saw Ron and Hermione down by the fence near the Shrieking Shack.

"…most haunted building in Britain," said Hermione. "Did I mention that?"

"Twice," said Ron.

"Do you want to move closer, to the Shrieking Shack?" asked Hermione.

"No, I'm fine here," said Ron.

Just then, Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle came down the hill and sneered at them. "Well, look who's here. You two shopping for your new dream home? Must be grand for you, isn't it, Weasel-Bee, don't your family sleep in one room?" said Malfoy.

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy," said Ron.

"Oh, not very friendly," said Malfoy. "Boys, I think it's time we teach Weasel-Bee how to respect his superiors."

Hermione just scoffed. "Hope you don't mean yourself!"

"How dare you talk to me!" Malfoy hissed. "You filthy little Mudblood!"

At the moment, while under the Cloak, Cedric hit him in the face with a snowball. "Who's there?" Malfoy called.

Then another snowball hit him in the face and then we shoved Goyle's hat down over his eyes and spun him around by his scarf and shoved Crabbe's pants down before shoving Goyle into the snow. Then we grabbed Malfoy by the feet and dragged him the hill closer to the Shrieking Shack until all three of them went away screaming.

Ron and Hermione laughed until Hermione said, "Helena!" And the Cedric and I came out from under the Cloak, laughing as well.

"Goodness, guys, that was not funny!" said Ron.

"Oh, come on, Ron, it was so funny!" said Cedric.

"Never mind that, how did you even get here?" asked Hermione.

I held up the Marauders Map. "Fred and George gave me a little early Christmas present when Cedric asked for their help in getting me to the village."

"Those weasels!" said Ron. "They never told me about any Marauders Map!"

"But Helena isn't going to keep it. She's going to turn it into Professor McGonagall, aren't you?" asked Hermione.

"Not a chance, Hermione," I said, putting it away.

"Come on, I know this is technically against the rules, but Helena deserves a bit of fun with us," said Cedric.

Hermione sighed and then nodded.

They took me all over the village while I was under the Cloak, showing me the shops and we all did some Christmas shopping and split some cheesecake while we were there. It was perfectly lovely until we saw Professor McGonagall, Fudge and Hagrid outside the Three Broomsticks.

They said something about Black and the Dementors, and when they mentioned my name, I got interested. What was so important about Black and myself that they had to keep it a secret? "I'm going up there," I hissed, as I disappeared.

"Helena, wait!" Cedric hissed.

But I didn't respond as I was already in the pub and I'd followed the adults up to a room inside the pub and listened to their conversation.

"Now, what's this all about?" asked Madame Rosmerta.

"Now, you remember, when the Potters knew they were marked for death, they went into hiding. Few knew where they were. But one who did was Sirius Black and he told You-Know-Who," said Professor McGonagall.

"Black also killed one of their friends, Peter Pettigrew," said Fudge. "But Black was vicious, he didn't kill Pettigrew, he _destroyed _him. A finger, that's all that was left, a finger! Nothing more!"

"But what does this all have to do with that poor young girl, Miss Helena Black?" asked Madame Rosmerta.

"This: Sirius Black was, and he remains to this day, Helena Potter's godfather!" said Professor McGonagall.

I was so shocked, I couldn't think. I ran out of the room, while still under the Cloak and kept running; ignoring the people I shoved past and the cries of my friends. I ran until I reached a large rock and then sat down and started crying. My parents' _best friend, _my own _godfather _was the reason I was alone. He was the reason my parents had been murdered! I didn't know what hurt more, the fact that Sirius Black had done this or the fact that I'd been lied to about Black's identity and true reason for wanting me dead.

I kept crying until my Cloak was pulled off and I met the worried faces of my friends. Cedric, Ron and Hermione were kneeling in front of me.

"Helena, what happened?" asked Hermione.

"What'd you overhear?" asked Ron.

"Sirius Black's my godfather," I said, as I took a deep breath. "He was my parents Secret-Keeper when they went into hiding. They _trusted_ him! He was their friend and he betrayed them to Voldemort! He was their _friend!_" I stopped as I wiped my eyes and swallowed painfully. "And they all knew this, McGonagall, Fudge, Hagrid, and the others! They knew and they lied to me! I had a right to know the truth!"

"Of course you did," said Cedric, gently, as he wiped away my tears. "But now that you know the truth, what're you going to do?"

"I won't seek out Black, if that's what's worrying you. But if he finds me, then I don't care what it takes, I'm handing him over to the Dementors. He can rot in Azkaban or be subjected to their Kiss for all I care," I said, with venom, before I ended up walking back to the village and given a butterbeer to calm down and we were able to enjoy the rest of the trip to the village.


	5. Performing the Patronus Charm

Performing the Patronus Charm

I put Black in the back of my mind over the next few weeks.

Writing in my journal proved to be quite therapeutic and comforting as I slowly got past my grief and anger. Going on walks with Professor Lupin and talking with my friends also proved helpful. The others were glad when I put my energy into my classes and the upcoming Christmas holidays. Cedric took us ice-skating after opening presents and then we had another great Christmas feast.

When term began again, Professor Lupin started our lessons. "Are you sure about this, Helena? This very advanced magic, way beyond the O.W.L. year."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright then. Close your eyes. To face a Dementor, you first need to remember the incantation, _Expecto Patronum_, and think of a happy memory. Not just any memory, one of the happiest you've got so you can fight off the Dementor. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Open it." I focused really hard on the first time I rode a broom and then the chest opened, revealing a boggart in the form of a Dementor. "_Expecto Patronum!_" I yelled. "_Expecto…expect…" _

Once again, I passed out and when I woke up a few minutes later, Professor Lupin gave me some chocolate. "Eat this, it'll help," he said. "Well, that wasn't so bad for your first try. If you had done perfectly the first, that would've been remarkable. As a matter of interest, what memory did you choose?"

"The first time I rode a broom."

Professor Lupin shook his head. "That's not good enough. Not _nearly _good enough. You need something a little better."

"Okay," I said, as I racked through my memories and then I remembered something. "There's one more. I'm not sure if it's real or not, but it makes me really happy. Open the chest, please."

"Alright, if you're sure," he said, as he opened it.

The boggart in its Dementor form came out again, but this time I was ready. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _A silver doe emerged from my wand and drove off the boggart back into the chest which Professor Lupin then shut.

"That was extraordinary," he said, very pleased. "If you don't my saying so, you would have given your mother a run for her money and that is saying something."

"Thanks. But I think I've had enough for one day."

"Fair enough, we'll pick it up again next week. So, Helena, I am curious, what memory did you choose that time?

"I was thinking of my parents. They were holding me in their arms. I couldn't make it out at first, but they were saying that they loved me," I murmured. "That's what I chose. I chose to remember their love."

Professor Lupin smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful memory, Helena."

"Thanks."

A few months later, my Patronus was much better. One night, I had insomnia and couldn't sleep. It was late and Ron and Hermione were asleep, but Cedric was still up, so he offered to take me down to the hospital wing for a Sleeping Draught. We were on our way back, softly whispering in the darkness until I stopped walking.

"Ced," I whispered. "Look!"

Cedric frowned when he looked at the Map. Right there, on the second floor was the name _Peter Pettigrew. _"That can't be right," said Cedric. "Pettigrew's dead. Black killed him twelve years ago."

"Then why's he showing up on the Map if he's dead?" I asked.

"Maybe the enchantment's faulty," he suggested. "I don't know."

"Crap," I muttered as I saw someone coming towards us. It was Professor Snape. "Turn off your light!" I hissed. If Professor Snape caught us, we'd in no end of trouble. "Mischief managed!"

No sooner had Cedric turned out his wand's light than Professor Snape appeared with his own. "Potter, Diggory!"

"Oh, it's just you, Professor," Cedric said, pretending to look scared. "You startled us."

"Indeed. Mr. Diggory, just _what _may I ask, are you two doing out at this time of night?" asked Professor Snape.

"Cedric was accompanying me back to the common room after I got a Sleeping Draught from Madame Pomfrey for my insomnia," I said, holding up the thermos. "You can check it and with Madame Pomfrey if you'd like."

He took it and sniffed the contents. "Very well," he said. "But turn out your pockets, now. I want to see if there's anything you're hiding."

"As you wish," I said, holding out the wiped Map.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A spare bit of parchment," said Cedric.

"We'll see about that." He placed his wand on the Map. "Reveal your secrets." Neat handwriting in red ink appeared. "Read it."

"'_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and ask that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business,_'" I read, slightly horrified and yet amused.

Professor Snape looked furious. "Why, you insolent little—!"

"Professor!" said Professor Lupin, appearing. "Helena, Cedric, what's going on? Not in trouble, I hope?"

"That remains to be seen." Professor Snape snatched the Map away. "I have now just confiscated a suspicious looking object. It's your area of expertise, clearly it's full of Dark Magic, Lupin."

Professor Lupin looked amused. "It doesn't seem harmful to me, Severus. It seems like merely a parchment merely designed to insult anyone who tries to read it, I suspect it's a Zonko's product, but nevertheless, I'll investigate further into it. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise. Helena, Cedric, if you'll accompany me?"

"Yes, Professor," said Cedric, taking my hand and leading me away from Professor Snape.

When we were in an empty corridor, Professor Lupin seemed quite displeased. "Now I haven't the slightest clue how this Map came into your possession, but quite frankly I am astounded you didn't hand it in!" he said. "Did it ever occur to you, Helena, that in the hands of Sirius Black, that this would be a map leading to you?"

"Yes, sir, it did. But we were being careful not to let it out of our sight," I said, slowly.

"I see. And just _what_, may I ask, were you two doing out at this hour?"

"I was just going back to my bed after getting some Sleeping Draught from Madame Pomfrey because I had insomnia," I explained. "Cedric offered to accompany me to and from there and Snape caught us on the way back. We weren't causing trouble, I swear."

"I believe you, but you must be more careful, Helena. Your parents wouldn't have wanted you to wander around while a killer's on the loose. It would be a poor way to repay their sacrifice for you," said Professor Lupin, sternly. "Now, Cedric, I want you take Helena back to her dormitory and then go back to your own. If you take any detours, I shall know about it."

"Yes, Professor," said Cedric. "But sir, we don't think that map always works. Earlier, it showed us someone in the castle we know to be dead."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Professor Lupin looked shocked. "That's not possible."

"It's just what we saw," I said, shrugging as we went off.

I put Black in the back of my mind over the next few weeks.

Writing in my journal proved to be quite therapeutic and comforting as I slowly got past my grief and anger. Going on walks with Professor Lupin and talking with my friends also proved helpful. The others were glad when I put my energy into my classes and the upcoming Christmas holidays. Cedric took us ice-skating after opening presents and then we had another great Christmas feast.

When term began again, Professor Lupin started our lessons. "Are you sure about this, Helena? This very advanced magic, way beyond the O.W.L. year."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"Alright then. Close your eyes. To face a Dementor, you first need to remember the incantation, _Expecto Patronum_, and think of a happy memory. Not just any memory, one of the happiest you've got so you can fight off the Dementor. Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be. Open it." I focused really hard on the first time I rode a broom and then the chest opened, revealing a boggart in the form of a Dementor. "_Expecto Patronum!_" I yelled. "_Expecto…expect…" _

Once again, I passed out and when I woke up a few minutes later, Professor Lupin gave me some chocolate. "Eat this, it'll help," he said. "Well, that wasn't so bad for your first try. If you had done perfectly the first, that would've been remarkable. As a matter of interest, what memory did you choose?"

"The first time I rode a broom."

Professor Lupin shook his head. "That's not good enough. Not _nearly _good enough. You need something a little better."

"Okay," I said, as I racked through my memories and then I remembered something. "There's one more. I'm not sure if it's real or not, but it makes me really happy. Open the chest, please."

"Alright, if you're sure," he said, as he opened it.

The boggart in its Dementor form came out again, but this time I was ready. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!" _A silver doe emerged from my wand and drove off the boggart back into the chest which Professor Lupin then shut.

"That was extraordinary," he said, very pleased. "If you don't my saying so, you would have given your mother a run for her money and that is saying something."

"Thanks. But I think I've had enough for one day."

"Fair enough, we'll pick it up again next week. So, Helena, I am curious, what memory did you choose that time?

"I was thinking of my parents. They were holding me in their arms. I couldn't make it out at first, but they were saying that they loved me," I murmured. "That's what I chose. I chose to remember their love."

Professor Lupin smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful memory, Helena."

"Thanks."

A few months later, my Patronus was much better. One night, I had insomnia and couldn't sleep. It was late and Ron and Hermione were asleep, but Cedric was still up, so he offered to take me down to the hospital wing for a Sleeping Draught. We were on our way back, softly whispering in the darkness until I stopped walking.

"Ced," I whispered. "Look!"

Cedric frowned when he looked at the Map. Right there, on the second floor was the name _Peter Pettigrew. _"That can't be right," said Cedric. "Pettigrew's dead. Black killed him twelve years ago."

"Then why's he showing up on the Map if he's dead?" I asked.

"Maybe the enchantment's faulty," he suggested. "I don't know."

"Crap," I muttered as I saw someone coming towards us. It was Professor Snape. "Turn off your light!" I hissed. If Professor Snape caught us, we'd in no end of trouble. "Mischief managed!"

No sooner had Cedric turned out his wand's light than Professor Snape appeared with his own. "Potter, Diggory!"

"Oh, it's just you, Professor," Cedric said, pretending to look scared. "You startled us."

"Indeed. Mr. Diggory, just _what _may I ask, are you two doing out at this time of night?" asked Professor Snape.

"Cedric was accompanying me back to the common room after I got a Sleeping Draught from Madame Pomfrey for my insomnia," I said, holding up the thermos. "You can check it and with Madame Pomfrey if you'd like."

He took it and sniffed the contents. "Very well," he said. "But turn out your pockets, now. I want to see if there's anything you're hiding."

"As you wish," I said, holding out the wiped Map.

"What's that?" he asked.

"A spare bit of parchment," said Cedric.

"We'll see about that." He placed his wand on the Map. "Reveal your secrets." Neat handwriting in red ink appeared. "Read it."

"'_Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and ask that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business,_'" I read, slightly horrified and yet amused.

Professor Snape looked furious. "Why, you insolent little—!"

"Professor!" said Professor Lupin, appearing. "Helena, Cedric, what's going on? Not in trouble, I hope?"

"That remains to be seen." Professor Snape snatched the Map away. "I have now just confiscated a suspicious looking object. It's your area of expertise, clearly it's full of Dark Magic, Lupin."

Professor Lupin looked amused. "It doesn't seem harmful to me, Severus. It seems like merely a parchment merely designed to insult anyone who tries to read it, I suspect it's a Zonko's product, but nevertheless, I'll investigate further into it. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise. Helena, Cedric, if you'll accompany me?"

"Yes, Professor," said Cedric, taking my hand and leading me away from Professor Snape.

When we were in an empty corridor, Professor Lupin seemed quite displeased. "Now I haven't the slightest clue how this Map came into your possession, but quite frankly I am astounded you didn't hand it in!" he said. "Did it ever occur to you, Helena, that in the hands of Sirius Black, that this would be a map leading to you?"

"Yes, sir, it did. But we were being careful not to let it out of our sight," I said, slowly.

"I see. And just _what_, may I ask, were you two doing out at this hour?"

"I was just going back to my bed after getting some Sleeping Draught from Madame Pomfrey because I had insomnia," I explained. "Cedric offered to accompany me to and from there and Snape caught us on the way back. We weren't causing trouble, I swear."

"I believe you, but you must be more careful, Helena. Your parents wouldn't have wanted you to wander around while a killer's on the loose. It would be a poor way to repay their sacrifice for you," said Professor Lupin, sternly. "Now, Cedric, I want you take Helena back to her dormitory and then go back to your own. If you take any detours, I shall know about it."

"Yes, Professor," said Cedric. "But sir, we don't think that map always works. Earlier, it showed us someone in the castle we know to be dead."

"Oh? And who might that be?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

Professor Lupin looked shocked. "That's not possible."

"It's just what we saw," I said, shrugging as we went off.


	6. Learning the Truth

Learning the Truth

A week passed.

Everything seemed to work out somewhat smoother. The weather was good, we got through our exams with relative ease and Sirius Black hadn't been anywhere near the castle again. It would've been great if Buckbeak's execution wasn't looming near and Ron wasn't still missing his rat. To make things worse, Hermione and Tralawny had a falling out during the Divination exam, and Hermione quit after knocking crystal ball down the steps.

After the exam was over, I took the crystal ball back up where it belonged and could've sworn I saw Sirius Black's face in it whispering my name before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Professor?" I said, startled.

She ignored me. She spoke in a distorted voice. "_He will return tonight. Tonight, he who betrayed his friends, whose heart rots with murder shall break free. Innocent blood will be spilt and Master and Servant will be reunited once more!_" She had a coughing fit and then turned to me. "So, sorry, dear girl. Did you say something?"

I was so creeped out, I couldn't speak. I just shook my head and ran from the room and told the others what had happened.

"That's it, Tralawny's got mad," said Ron.

"I told you," said Hermione.

"What if she's right, though?" I asked, slightly concerned. "What if she actually made a real prophecy?"

"I don't know if she's right or not, Helena, but I do know this," said Cedric. "Unless you're in class, stay away from Tralawny. I'm not sure I trust her."

"Fine by me." I shuddered. I was more than happy to forget the whole thing. That night, we went to see Hagrid to give him our comfort and help before Buckbeak was killed. It wasn't fair. Buckbeak didn't deserve this!

To make things even more displeasing, Malfoy and his goons were watching with pleasure and mocking Hagrid, arousing Hermione's anger as she stormed down towards him before we could stop her.

"Ah, come to see the show?" said Malfoy.

"You, you foul loathsome, evil little cockroach!" she screamed as she thrust her wand under his chin, making him whimper and turn white with fear.

"Hermione, no!" said Ron. "He's not worth it!"

Hermione lowered her wand, but then punched Malfory hard enough to break his nose, and send him away crying and screaming. "That felt good," she said.

"Not good, brilliant!" said Ron, making her smile.

We all went down to Hagrid's and he made a pot of tea. He kept looking out the window at Buckbeak who was chained and had no clue of what was going on. "Look at him, he loves the smell of the wind through trees."

"I'm sorry about all of this, Hagrid," I said, as I squeezed his arm.

"It's not your fault. Dumbledore's coming down, he says he wants to be there with me when it happens."

"We'll be with you too," said Cedric.

"You will not!" said Hagrid. "Think I want you seeing something like that? No, sir!" Then he reached into a cookie jar. "Ron, before I forget, I found something of yours." He held out Scabbers.

"Scabbers, you're alive!" he said, relieved.

"I think that means you owe someone an apology," said Hermione.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry for what I said," he said.

Suddenly, a rock flew in and broke one of the jars and hit the back of my head. We looked, but saw no one except for Fudge, Professor Dumbledore and the executioner. The hour was late, if we were caught, we'd be in trouble.

"All of you get, now!" said Hagrid. "You'll be in deep trouble if you're seen out here at this hour, especially you, Helena."

"Okay." I hugged Hagrid. "Hagrid, it'll be alright, I promise."

"Just go before you're caught!" he said, smiling a little.

The four of us ran out the back of Hagrid's hut and hid behind his huge pumpkin patch before we ran up to the top of the hill and watched in horror as the sunset and then Buckbeak was killed. Hermione burst into tears and buried her face in Ron's shoulder as he stroked her hair and Cedric wrapped his arm around me as my throat tightened.

Ron then dropped Scabbers. "He bit me! Scabbers bit me!"

Scabbers seemed scared of something as Ron chased after him and we followed, only stopping when Ron caught Scabbers.

"Helena, Cedric, do you realize what tree this is?" asked Hermione, pointing to the Whomping Willow.

"Yeah, not good. Ron, run!" I yelled.

Ron looked up and looked scared as he pointed behind us. "Helena, Hermione, Cedric, run! It's the Grim!"

We spun around to see the same dog from before growling and barking as it leapt over us and grabbed Ron's leg and dragged him down under the roots of the Whomping Willow while he screamed.

We barely had time to react before the tree began attacking us. It sent Cedric flying and knocked me and my glasses down as Hermione got caught on a branch and she screamed. I managed to grab my glasses while avoiding being hit and then Cedric was thrown by one of the branches down beneath the roots of the tree and we soon followed, falling on top of one another, all scratched and cut and brusied.

"Where are we?" I asked, when we stood up and walked through the tunnel.

"I have a theory," said Hermione, "But I really hope that I'm wrong. I think we're Shrieking Shack."

We ran upstairs when we heard Ron's yells and found him clutching Scabbers and a painfully wounded leg.

"Ron, where's the dog?" asked Cedric.

"He's the dog, he's an animagus!" said Ron,

We all spun around to see Sirius Black behind us, looking deranged and angry. Cedric quickly covered us.

"If you want to kill Helena, you'll have to kill us too!" he snarled.

"No, only one will die tonight," said Sirius.

I burst through Cedric and managed to pin Sirius down to the ground. "No one is going to die, except you when I hand you over to the Dementors, you disgusting, crazy murdering traitor!" I growled.

"Helena, get off him!" said Professor Lupin, appearing in the doorway, holding up his wand at us. I didn't move and then he shouted, "_Now,_ Helena! Move!"

I couldn't believe it as I stood beside Cedric, who looked equally shocked. Professor Lupin, the man I trusted and considered family, was helping the man who betrayed my parent?The others were even more shocked and furious when Professor Lupin and Sirius hugged like brothers.

"He's here," said Sirius. "He's with her, in this room!"

"I know," said Lupin.

"Let's kill him!" said Sirius.

"No!" shouted Hermione. "I trusted you! And all this time you've been his friend! Lupin's a werewolf, guys! That's why he's been missing classes!"

Professor Lupin looked interested. "How long have you known?"

"Since Professor Snape set the essay," she admitted.

"Well done, Hermione, you really are brightest witch of your age," said Professor Lupin.

"Enough talk, Remus!" said Sirius. "Let's kill him!'

"Wait, Sirius," said Professor Lupin.

"I did my waiting!" Sirius shouted. "Twelve years of it! In Azkaban!"

"I know, but just wait one more minute, Sirius. Helena has the right to know why," said Professor Lupin.

"I know why!" I shouted. I was so angry, I almost couldn't speak. "Sirius betrayed my parents to Voldemort! He's the reason they're dead!"

"No, Helena, it wasn't him!" said Professor Lupin. "The real culprit is someone who quite recently, I believed to be dead! Someone you mentioned seeing on the Map!"

My eyes widened as I remembered seeing Pettigrew's name on the Map. But that wasn't possible! "Peter Pettigrew?" I whispered. "But that can't be. He was blown to bits!"

"He never died! He's still alive and he's in this room right now!" said Sirius. "Come out, Peter! Come out, come out and play!"

"_Expelliarmus!_" shouted Snape, blasting Lupin's wand away and forcing him and Sirius up against the wall. "Vengeance is sweet. I hoped I'd be the one to catch you. I told the headmaster you were helping Black into the school and now here's the proof."

"Excellent work, Snape," Sirius sneered. Once again you've put your keen mind to the task and as usual, come to the wrong conclusion. Now, if you don't mind Remus and I have some unfinished business to attend to."

Professor Snape pressed his wand into Sirius's throat. "I could do it you know, but why deny the Dementors? They're longing to see you. Do I detect a flicker of fear? Ah, yes, the Dementor's Kiss, said to be nearly unbearable to watch, but I'll do my best."

As he spoke, I reached down for my wand and then I shouted, "_Expelliarmus!_" and sent Professor Snape flying into some wooden wreckage. Normally I wouldn't have done that, but I knew Professor Snape would never listen to us, so I did what I had to.

"Helena, what did you just do?" said Ron.

"You attacked a teacher!" said Hermione.

"Both of you shut up!" Cedric barked.

I didn't tear my eyes off of Professor Lupin and Sirius. "Okay, I'm furious, wounded, and confused, and I'm the only one of you who's armed, so one of you or both of you, had better explain about Pettigrew before I change my mind about what I did to Professor Snape and handing Black over to the Dementors!" I demanded.

"Peter Pettigrew was at school with us, we thought he was our friend," said Lupin. "During our school days, James, Sirius and Peter became unregistered animagus so they could help me out during my transformations, to keep me company and such."

"When James and Lily were marked for death, I thought Voldemort would come after me, but he'd never go after a scrawny little _thing _like Peter, so I had them make him their Secret-Keeper as a decoy and keep your parents, Peter and you, all safe, but I didn't know until after I found out your parents had been killed that Peter was the traitor!" said Sirius. "And Peter is right there, right now!" He pointed to Ron.

"Me? He's mental!" said Ron.

"Not you!" Sirius snapped. "Your rat!"

"Scabbers has been in my family for—"

"Twelve years?" Sirius interrupted. "A curiously long life for a common garden rat! He's missing a toe, isn't he?"

"So what?" said Hermione.

"So, the only thing they could find of Pettigrew was his finger," said Cedric.

"The dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead!" said Sirius. "And then he transformed into a rat!" Ignoring Ron's protests, Sirius grabbed Scabbers and then Lupin waved his wand and then Scabbers was gone. In his place was a ratty-looking man covered in filth. The four of us were shocked, but none quite so as Ron, whose jaw dropped.

Pettigrew was dragged up in front of us and immediately stammered, "R-Remus? S-Sirius! My old friends!" He moved as if to hug them, but was forced back by the two men. He turned to me and clung to bottom of my pants. "Helena, look at you. You look so like your mother and father! Like James and Lily, we were such good friends!"

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO HELENA?" shouted Sirius, pulling him away from me. He and Lupin cornered Pettigre behind the dead piano. "HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT JAMES AND LILY IN FRONT OF HER?"

"You sold James and Lily to Voldemort, didn't you!" said Lupin.

"I didn't mean to!" said Pettigrew. "The Dark Lord, he has such powers! Ask yourself Sirius, what would have you done?"

"I would've died!" he shouted. "I would've died, rather than betray my friends!"

Pettigrew ran under the piano and grabbed me. "Helena, think of your parents! James and Lily wouldn't have wanted me dead! They would've spared me! They would've shown me mercy!"

"You should've realized, Peter, that if Voldemort didn't finish you off, then we would," said Lupin, grabbing him. "Ready, Sirius?"

"No!" I shouted. "Don't kill him!"

Lupin narrowed his eyes. "Helena, this man—"

"I'm well-aware of what a slimy little cowardly traitor this is!" I interrupted. "But we can't kill him! That's not who we are! If we kill him for revenge, then we're just as bad as he and Voldemort are! Don't kill him!"

"Oh, thank you dear girl," said Pettigrew.

He tried to move towards me, but I held my wand up. "Keep your filthy hands off of me! I didn't finish. I said we wouldn't kill you, but we'll take you up to the castle. You'll go to prison and then Dementors can have you."

Professor Lupin and Sirius were quiet as they exchanged looks and then they nodded. "Very well, Helena," said Professor Lupin. "We'll do it."

Pettigrew was magically tied up and Ron's wound bound as we dragged them out into the clearing. Pettigrew kept protesting and begging not to be taken to the Dementors, but none of us listened.

While we gave Ron a chance to rest his leg, Hermione and Cedric tended to him while Professor Lupin dealt with Pettigrew. My eyes kept going back to Sirius, who'd walked off. My heart ached as I thought of what had happened. Would Sirius be angry with me for how I'd acted?

"Helena?" said Cedric, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Why don't you go talk to Sirius for while? Go."

I nodded and walked over to Sirius, who was gazing at Hogwarts. He seemed calmer, not like before. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he murmured. "I'll never forget the first time I walked through those doors. It'll be great to do it as free man."

"Yeah, it's stunning. I'm sorry, Sirius," I said, sighing. "I'm sorry that I attacked you like that and threatened you back there."

Sirius shook his head. "Don't worry about it, dear girl. I understand. I'm not angry. You didn't know the truth and now you do. And you still protected your friends like the heroine you are. That's all that matters." He sighed and looked at me. "That was a noble thing you back there, Helena. He doesn't deserve it, though."

"I know he doesn't. But I thought that my parents wouldn't have wanted their best friends and only daughter to become killers," I murmured. "Besides, dead the truth dies with him. Alive, you're free."

"True," he agreed. Then he looked at the ground and picked up Snuffles, who'd fallen out of my bag. I'd forgotten I had that with me. "Hello, what's this?"

"Snuffles," I said, slightly embarrassed. "I've had him since before I can remember. I tend to carry him with me everywhere."

Sirius laughed. "I thought you would," he said. "I remember when I gave this to you. You took it from my hands and held it tight. You were just a week old, but you completely loved it. You'd never let go of it, not ever."

"_You _gave Snuffles to me?" I said, surprised. "Thank you. Snuffles has been my best friend for years."

He nodded and then said, "I don't know if you know, Helena, but when you were born, James and Lily made me you godfather."

"I know." Once, I was ashamed of it and hated it, but now I was proud of it. "I know. I'm glad they did."

He looked a little surprised and then hesitated before saying, "Helena, I don't know if you'd consider it, but if when all this is over and you ever wanted a new home, you could come and live with me."

My heart leapt. "Are you insane? I'd love to!"

He smiled. "Wonderful."

"Sirius, I'm just curious, why did you startle me and Cedric on the night I left the Dursleys?" I asked.

"I wasn't trying to scare you. I just wanted to see you. I wanted to see how you were after all this time," said Sirius. "I must say, I was pleased that you were so great a woman and that you had someone like Diggory protecting you."

I nodded. "Cedric was my first human friend before I came to Hogwarts. We bumped into each other in Diagon Alley and just got along perfectly. He even let me tell the Dursleys he was my personal bodyguard so they'd leave me alone."

Sirius laughed. "Well, there's a true Hufflepuff if I ever saw one. I'm very proud of you, Helena. Very, very proud indeed."

"Thanks, Sirius."

"HELENA!" shouted Hermione.

We spun around as the full moon came into view and then Professor Lupin began transforming as he hadn't taken his wolfsbane potion. Oh, no! To make matters worse, Pettigrew turned into a rat and escaped the ropes just as Professor Snape came out and was about to punish us, but when he saw the werewolf, he protected us. He was wounded by Professor Lupin, who ran off into the brush when Sirius tried to protect us as he turned into a dog and began fighting.

"Sirius!" I yelled, as I ran after him.

Professor Lupin threw Sirius's dog form to the ground and then nearly attacked me before he heard another wolf's howl and ran off. I would've gone after him had I not been more worried about Sirius. I ran down to the pond where he lay unconscious. "Sirius?" I whispered. I tore off part of my undershirt and bandaged his wound, but he didn't wake. Suddenly, everything turned cold and the water froze.

_No! Not now, not now! _I looked up to see hundreds of Dementors flying towards us. I raised my wand and tried to focus on my happy memories. "_Expecto Patronum!_" But no matter how many times, I tried, I couldn't fight them off. I felt weak and nearly dying. I grabbed Sirius's hand, determined not to leave him. Was this truly the end? And then it happened. I saw a silver doe and a figure behind it driving off every single one of the Dementors. "Mum? Dad?" I whispered, before I passed out.


	7. The TimeTurner

The Time-Turner

I woke up in the hospital wing to Cedric and Hermione's faces.

I sat up at once. "What happened? Where's Sirius?"

"Helena, listen to me, he's been taken," said Cedric. "Any minute now, the Dementors are going to perform the Kiss. They'll suck out his soul."

"No! They can't!" said Ron, protesting, from his bed.

Just then Professor Dumbledore came in.

"Professor, they can't do this!" said Hermione. "Sirius is innocent! They've got the wrong man!"

"We know the truth, Professor!" said Cedric. "Pettigrew's alive and an unregistered animagus. Please say that you believe us."

"I do, Mr. Diggory, but I'm sorry to say that the word of three young third-years and one fifth-year will convince few others," he said. "However, there might be a way. A strange thing, time. When meddled with it can produce miracles or disasters. Sirius Black is being held in the Astronomy Tower. If all goes well, more than one innocent life may be spared. You know the rules, Miss Granger. You must not be seen, three turns should do it, good luck." And then he left the wing.

"What the heck was that all about?" Ron demanded.

"Sorry, Ron, but seeing as how you can't walk, you'll have to stay here," said Hermione. She wrapped a long gold chain around mine and Cedric's necks and turned a little hourglass thing three times and then letting it go. Everything blurred around us like a video rewinding itself. She then took the necklace off us.

"What's going on? Where's Ron?" I asked, noticing the redhead's absence.

"Seven-thirty," said Hermione, ignoring my questions. "Where were we at seven-thirty?"

"Going to Hagrid's, but—_Hermione, wait up!"_ Cedric yelled as we chased after her.

We ran after her until she stopped and our eyes widened as we saw ourselves as we were three hours ago and then Hermione had us hide behind a rock and held out her necklace. "This is a Time-Turner, guys. Professor McGonagall gave it to me first term. This is how I've been getting to my lessons all year. I wasn't allowed to say anything about it before now, I'm sorry."

"Apologies aren't necessary," I said. "Just tell us what the devil the plan is."

"We need to rescue Buckbeak so we can save Sirius," said Cedric, catching on. "Come on! And remember, we can't be seen!"

We ran down and hid behind Hagrid's pumpkins. It was so weird watching myself like this, yet fascinating. Then I saw Pettigrew and was burning with anger. "That little rat!" I growled.

"Helena, don't!" said Hermione.

"That's the man who betrayed my parents! You don't expect me to just _sit here_, do you?"

"Yes, and you must!" said Hermione.

"Helena, listen to me. I know how hard this is, but if you go in there, you'll cause a paradox or you'll think you've gone mad. I've heard Dad tell a lot of stories and none of them are pleasant. Terrible things happen to wizards who meddle with time. We can't be seen," said Cedric. "He'll get his punishment one day, I promise."

I sighed and nodded. "Okay." I didn't want to admit it, but they were right.

Hermione frowned when Fudge and the others came down, but our past selves weren't leaving. "Why aren't we leaving?"

"The stone," I whispered. "We didn't leave until someone hit a jar and the back of my head with a stone. Throw one, now!"

"Are you insane?" Cedric hissed.

But Hermione obeyed me and threw the stones, which got our past selves to leave as we hid behind trees and then our past selves ran back up to the hill. Cedric and I then unchained Buckbeak and got him to follow us into the woods barely managing to get him away before we were seen. Buckbeak's absence did not go unnoticed.

"But where is it?" said Fudge. "I saw the beast just now!"

"How extraordinary," said Professor Dumbledore. "Well, I don't think Hagrid had anything to do with it, how could he? He's been with us the whole time."

Hagrid looked very overjoyed by Buckbeak's disappearance as it meant the hippogriff was safe.

"But someone's freed him, Dumbledore!" said Fudge. "We must search the grounds!"

"Oh, search the skies if you must, Minister. Executioner, your services are no longer required. In the meantime, I'd like a large cup of tea or a large brandy. May I, Hagrid?"

"Certain, Professor," said Hagrid. "Dear old Beaky! The clever brute freed himself!"

The executioner then smashed a pumpkin, clearly intending to kill something. We exchanged happy glances as we ran through the trees and then waited for our past selves to leave the tunnel.

"Guys?" I said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" said Cedric.

"Before, down by the pond, someone saved me and Sirius."

"With a Patronus," said Hermione. "I overheard Snape telling Dumbledore."

"According to what Snape said, only a really powerful witch or wizard could've conjured it and sent off those Dementors," said Cedric.

"I think it was my parents," I said.

"Helena, your parents are—"

"Dead, I know," I interrupted, Hermione. "But that's what I saw."

Neither of them replied to this and instead Cedric asked, "Helena, what did Sirius say to you earlier that made you so happy like that?"

"He asked me to come live with him, I said yes," I replied.

"That's wonderful," said Hermione.

"Yeah, it is." I sighed as I thought of what might happen. "When we free him, I'll never have to go back to the Durselyes. It'll just be me and him. We could live in the country; somewhere you can see the sky. I think he'd enjoy that after all those years in Azkaban."

Just them, we got up as Sirius's yell was heard and ran down to where Professor Lupin was about to attack me. Cedric started howling like a wolf before I stopped him.

"What're you doing?" I hissed.

"Saving your life!" said Cedric, as he continued howling.

"Now he's coming for us!" said Hermione. "Run!"

We ran, but didn't get far before Professor Lupin found us. Fortunately, before he could attack us, Buckbeak flew in and defended us, driving him off. Buckbeak then looked smug and pleased with himself.

"Good boy, Beaky," said Hermione, softly.

"Guys, we've got a problem," said Cedric.

I felt the chill wind and my heart froze. "Sirius." We ran down to the pond where Sirius and my past self were being attacked. "They'll be here, they'll come. Any second now."

"Helena, I don't see anyone," said Cedric. He then looked pale. "Oh my…you're dying, both of you."

"They'll be here!" I insisted.

"Helena, no one's coming," said Hermione.

It was then that I realized the truth and ran down and held out my wand. "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" I shouted.

Just like before, the silver doe came and it defeated every single one of the Dementors as my past self fainted, thinking it'd seen my parents. I was breathing hard with excitement as Hermione and Cedric looked both shocked and pleased.

"Helena, how did you—? That shouldn't be possi—that's-that's really powerful advanced magic!" said Cedric, looking stunned.

"Come on, Sirius is waiting for us," said Hermione.


	8. GoodBye Isn't Forever

Good-Bye Isn't Forever

We all got onto Buckbeak and flew off.

"You were right, guys; it wasn't my parents I saw earlier! It was me! I saw _myself _conjuring the Patronus before. I knew I could do it this time because I'd already done it! Does that make sense?"

"No!" said Hermione. "But I don't like flying!" She screamed a bit as Cedric and I let out whoops of joy.

We landed in front of Sirius's cell and used a spell to break open the gate and got him onto Buckbeak and then landed in the courtyard. Sirius let out a whoop of joy and was smiling when we got off.

"I'll be forever grateful for this, for all of you," he said. "I'll head to a safe place to hide until I'm a free man."

"I want to go with you," I said.

Sirius shook his head. "One day, perhaps. But for now, my life will be too unpredictable. And besides, you're meant to be here."

"But you're innocent!" I protested.

"And you know it. And for that, that's enough."

"I don't want you go without me, Sirius," I said, tears trickling down my cheeks. "I just got you back. I can't lose you again. Let me come with you, please."

"Helena, I promise you that one day, we'll lead a new life together, but it can't be now." he said, gently. "You're needed here with Ron, Hermione and Cedric. They need you as much as you need them and Hogwarts is your home for now."

"Okay," I said, sadly.

He gently wiped away my tears. "I expect you're tired of hearing this, but you look so much like your mother and father."

"Tell me anyway," I begged. "Tell me, please."

"You've got James's nose and hair color, but you've got Lily's eyes and her smile. It's cruel I got to spend so much time with them and you so little, but the ones we love never truly leave us. We can always find them in our hearts."

"You'll stay in contact with me, won't you?"

"Of course. I'll write to you as often as I can, and visit as well, I promise. And if you ever have need of me, just tell me, I'll be there. I love you, my little Lena."

I nodded and smiled through my tears as I hugged Sirius. "I love you too, Padfoot," I said, trying to be brave. "I'll keep Snuffles closer now, I promise."

Sirius hugged me tight and then got onto to Buckbeak's back. "Hermione, you really are the brightest witch of your age. And Cedric, you make sure you take good care of my goddaughter," he said.

"I will," said Cedric, as he wrapped an arm around me and I blushed.

Sirius then took off on Buckbeak and flew off into the night sky. My heart ached, but at the same time, it was rejoicing for Sirius. We then ran back to the hospital wing just as Professor Dumbledore closed the door. We went back in and saw Ron looking worried and frightened.

"How'd you get there?" asked Ron. "I was just talking to you over here and now you're over there!"

"What's he talking about, guys?" asked Hermione, grinning.

"Haven't a clue," I said, chuckling.

"Honestly, Ron, how could someone be in two places at once?" said Cedric, making us all laugh.

"We'll explain later, Ron," I said. "But the good news is, Sirius and Buckbeak are okay. We'll talk in the morning when we've all had a good night's sleep."

"Okay," said Ron, nodding.

When Madame Pomfrey would let us go, I went to see Professor Lupin.

"Hello, Helena," he said, before I could even knock. He pointed to the Map. "I saw you coming."

"Of course." Then I saw all his things were packed. "You haven't been sacked, have you, Professor?"

"No, I resigned actually. Someone let loose the nature of my condition yesterday and this time tomorrow, the owls will arrive and the students' parents won't want me teaching their children. I'm quite used to this by now, but I'll find other work."

"I'm sorry," I said, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault. The important thing is, you and your friends are safe," said Professor Lupin. He gazed at me and noticed my look. "Why do you look so miserable Helena? What's wrong?"

I sighed. "Peter Pettigrew escaped. Sirius is still on the run. We did all that work and none of it made any difference."

"Didn't make any difference? Helena, you helped uncover the truth. You saved an innocent man from a terrible fate. It made a great deal of difference. Now, if there's anything I'm proud of is how much you've learned this year and how much your parents are in you," said Professor Lupin.

"What?"

He smiled. "Your father's animagus form was a stag and your mother's Patronus was a doe, just like yours. They rode again last night. Your parents are alive within you, Helena. And they always will be." He handed me the Marauder's Map. "I believe this belongs to you. Your father would've wanted you to have it. Take care of yourself."

"Professor," I said, before he left. "Will you write to me?"

He smiled and nodded. "Of course, I will. And remember, Helena, if you ever have need of me for anything, just say so and I'll be there, whatever it may be. And that goes for Sirius as well, I believe."

"I will. Thank you, for everything," I promised, as we hugged and then he left.

On the last day of school, I received a Firebolt in the mail with a note from Sirius and a feather from Buckbeak along with a signed permission form to visit Hogsmeade next year, and Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were tied for the House Cup again, making the year end on a high note yet again.

The Dementors were sent away and the _Daily Prophet _had a field day with Sirius's latest escape. Hermione handed him the Time-Turner and dropped a few of her subjects as she said she'd been going mad with her schedule this year. Ron was also sent a little owl by Sirius as an apology present for Ron's lack of a pet, which Ron took some liking to.

When our journey ended and we got off the train after arriving at King's Cross, Ron said, "The Quidditch World Cup's this summer. Dad got tickets yesterday. Do you want to see it with us?"

"I'd love to," said Hermione.

"I'm already planning on going, but I'll talk to my dad, see if we can all go up together," said Cedric.

"Sounds like a plan," I said, smiling.

"Helena, are you planning on telling your aunt and uncle about Sirius?" asked Cedric, glancing at the Dursleys, who were just a few feet away.

"Maybe, why?" I asked, curiously.

"Well, they know you've got a bodyguard, but I think they'd be interested in knowing about Sirius. You wouldn't be planning on scaring them with the idea of Sirius being a former convicted murderer, would you?" he asked, with a look in his eyes.

I smiled slyly. "Maybe," I said, earning a laugh from them all as we left the magical world and rejoined the Muggle one, not know what lay ahead of us in the future.


End file.
